| My wrestling journey has always been made of ups and downs. Starting off at the young age of five, I loved wrestling and how much it made me work. I loved wrestling because it was hard. It gave me something to be proud of. My wrestling experience from this young age through elementary school was really fun, however I ran into many obstacles. |
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| Come middle school, I quit. I didn’t find joy in the sport anymore and decided to stop and just play football. I regret quitting and with the help of my parents, I realized how important wrestling had been for me and how important it was for me to keep going even when something was hard. |
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| Joining the high school team became the peek of my high school experience. I went from struggling and losing tournaments to achieving small wins by putting all my dedication and hard work into this sport. I took my wrestling journey a step further by joining the Gold Rush Wrestling Academy. By adding extra practices, and traveling during the off season to compete in tournaments, I was able to land a spot on the Varsity team at Spanish Springs High School. |
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| My junior year I got 2nd at Regionals and 4th at State. For the last two years I have been wrestling during the off season, and traveling all throughout the United States just to have the chance to compete and grow as an individual and a wrestler. |
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| One special tournament for me was the 2024 PNL in Utah. Going into that tournament I was feeling nervous and anxious, like I always feel when I compete in big tournaments. However, the more I compete in big tournaments the better I do feel. Knowing that I put all my effort towards my practices leading up to this tournament gave me confidence and strength in my own training. |
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The most important aspect of competing in tournaments is having the ability to not just trust the coaching staff but also your own abilities to perform under pressure. When the spotlight is on you and the time comes for you to perform, it will all trace back to how much effort you put into practicing. |
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Match by match I began to feel myself loosening up and flowing through my combinations that I practice repeatedly. With every match came more and more wins. It felt so good for my work to finally pay off and be able to feel what it was like to be Number One. I felt so confident and relaxed in what I had just accomplished. Moments like these show me how my dedication and commitment can impact my accomplishments. Moments like these show me why I chose wrestling to be a part of my life. |
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| My successes have all been due to my family, my girlfriend, and my teammates. I’m so thankful to have the support of everyone. They have helped me and supported me through my hardest times of weight cuts and workouts. My teammates Justin Ruiz, Dom Ruiz, Noah Perez, Tyden Shultz, and Abner Lopez have contributed to my success. They pushed me every practice to be the man I am today. Without my family and teammates, none of this would have been possible. Wrestling is part of my life and I am proud to be a wrestler. |
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